Rotary and oscillatory tumbler washing machine



May 5, 1964 H. L. M DONALD 3,131,403

ROTARY AND OSCILLATOR! TUMBLER WASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 14, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY nuance L. MACDONALD;

May 5, 1964 H. L. M DONALD 3,131,408

ROTARY AND OSCILLATORY TUMBLER WASHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 14, 1963 INVENTOR. HORAC E L.. MACDONALD \AQ Q ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,131,408 ROTARY AND OSCILLATORY TUMBLER WASHING MACHINE Horace L. MacDonald, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., assignor to Ruth E. MacDonald, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Filed Aug. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 302,027 4 Claims. (Cl. 1576) This invention relates to a glassware washing machine of the type that is provided with a base housing for placement into a sink :or other receptacle and for immersion into a body of cleansing fluid.

The invention contemplates a housing carrying a chain of gearing that is driven from a motor that is disposed about the housing and above the level of the cleansing fluid and with the gearing provided with vertically disposed shafts that are connected to the gearing and with the shafts carrying cylindrical cleansing brushes that are arranged in parallel engaging positions so as to permit the engagement of a tumbler or other glassware article over the brushes to thoroughly sciub the glassware both internally and externally.

A further important object of the invention is to provide means for reciprocating brushes in an up and down manner during the rotation thereof.

A further object of the invention resides in the driving gears for the brushes being provided with concentric grooves of varying depth upon the upper and lower sides thereof and with rotatable balls engaging the grooves and constituting the'means whereby the gearing and the attached brush shafts are caused to reciprocate in a vertical manner during the driving of the gears from the motor.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a washing device constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof,

FIGURE 3 is a section taken substantially on line 3--3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device taken on line 4- 4 of FIGURE 1, and

*FIGURE 5 is a transverse section taken substantially on line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Referring specifically to the drawings, there has been illustrated a gear housing 5 of generally triangular shape. The housing 5 has a lower section 6 and an upper section '7 that are connected together by screws 8.) An electric motor 9 is supported upon a hollow standard 10- that is flanged at its lower end as at 11 and with the flange carrying a bushing 12 that is fixed into a cylindrical opening 13, formed in the upper section 7. The bushing 13 and the standard 10 are held against rotation by set screw 14. The standard 10 carries a drive shaft 15 that is driven from the motor 9 and with the drive shaft carrying a reduced extension 16, carrying a drive pinion '17. The pinion 117 has meshed engagement with an idler gear 18 that is rotatable upon a stub shaft 19, that has its upper and lower ends journaled in bushings 20 and 2 1 and with the bushings 20 and 21 being fixed within cylindrical apertures 22 and 23-, of the upper and lower sections 6 and 7 of the housing.

The idler gear 18 has meshed engagement with a next adjacent gear 24, keyed to a shaft 25. The gear 24 has meshed engagement with a single gear 26 and the gear 26 has meshed engagement with a similar gear 27. The gears 26 and :27 are also keyed to vertically disposed shaft flanged to substantially the same diameter as the bushings 34 and are also provided with semi-spherical recesses, receiving metallic balls 37. The gears '18, 24, 26 and 27 are formed relatively thick and preferably of plastic and where-by the gears may have relative shifting movement with respect to each other throughout a continuous drive from the idler gear 18 and the pinion 17. As clearly in constant mesh throughout the vertical movement. engagement of the balls into the recesses 35 and 37 of shown, the gears 24, 216 and 27 have their upper and lower faces grooved for the reception of the balls 36 and 37. The grooves 38 of the gears are concentric to the shafts 25, 28 :and 29 and the grooves of the upper and lower faces of the gears are parallel and of varying depths and 7 tical movement within the housing and due to their conneotion with the shafts 25, 2'8 and 29, cause the brushes 39 to rise and fall during their rotation and the degree of movement of the gears under the riding influence of the balls 36 and 37 is such as to permit the gears to remain The the flanges 34 and 3d, prevent displacement of the balls and cause the gears to rotate between the balls and due to the angular groove, the gears are caused to move in an up and down path throughout their driving action.

In the use of the device, the structure is assembled as in FIGURE 4 and the lower housing section 6 is provided with legs 39', whereby the device may be disposed within a sink or other receptacle. With the device supported the sink, fluid to a depth approximately to the tops of the brushes 39, the motor 9 is then actuated and a continuous drive from the pinion 17 creates a chain drive throughout the several gears 18, 24, =26 and 27 and as the tumbler or other glassware is engaged with the brushes, the brushes not only rotate but rise and fall, creating a most effective scrubbing action to the tumblers. A tumbler disposed over the intermediate brush 39 causes both the inside of the tumbler and the external sides of the tumbler to be thoroughly scrubbed. It will be apparent of course that any suitable cleansing medium may be employed for the washing. The housing may be formed of aluminum or other light weight material and the bushings 3t} and 31 may also be formed of metal, while the gears d8, 24, 26 and 27 are tor-med of a suitable plastic, as before indicated. The bushings 30 and 31 provide the bearings for the rotative movement of the shafts 25, 28 and 29 and also permit of the sliding movement of these shafts under the influence of the angular grooves and the balls formed in connection. with the gears.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that there has been provided a very novel cleansing device for glassware of simple construction, cheap to manufacture, is strong, durable and most effective for scrubbing both the inside and outside of a tumbler.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A tumbler washing machine of the type that is adapted to be immersed in a cleaning fluid and with the device having upstanding brushes over which the tumber is engaged to scrub both inside and outside of the turnbler, the device including a generally triangular base housing, a tubular upstanding housing for the support of a drive shaft, the tubular housing being fixed to the top of the base housing and with the tubular housing carrying at its upper end a source of power, such as an electric motor, the electric motor being connected to a drive shaft that extends through the tubular housing and with its inner end extending into the base housing, a relatively small pinion connected to the lower end of the drive shaft, a plurality of gears disposed Within the base housing and with the gears being of substantially identical diameter, the several gears and the pinion being in constant mesh, certain of the gears being provided with a shaft that is journalled in upper and lower journal bearings carried by the upper and lower sides of the base housing, the shafts being rotatable and slidable in the journals, the shafts extending above the top of the base housing and provided each with a cylindrical brush having bristles, the brushes being parallel, the shaft carrying gears each having a relatively Wide circumferential row of teeth and a Web portion, the web portion upon its upper and lower faces being provided with concentric grooves, the grooves being angular With respect to the upper and lower faces of the gears and with the grooves'be-ing of variable depth and parallel, and means carried by the inside faces of the upper and lower base housing and engaging the grooves of the upper and lower faces of the gears and engaging the upper and lower inside faces of the base housing whereby the gears during their rotary movement are caused to,

rise and fall and to simultaneously cause the rise and fall of the brushes during their rotary scrubbing action.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the base housing is formed in two sections, the upper section being provided with journals that are flanged the housing, the lower section having its journals flanged inwardly of L. the housing, each of the journals being provided with semi-cylindrical recesses upon their opposed faces, ball bearing means disposed in the recesses and with the ball bearing means engaging the grooves of the shatt carrying gears, the recesses of the journal flanges maintaining the balls in fixed and opposed relation to each other and to the grooves of the goals so that the gears in rotation are caused to partake of a movement corresponding to the grooves of the gears so that the gears and their connected shafts are caused to move up and down with their brushes so as to eiiect the scrubbing action upon the inside and outside of the tumblers.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the gears are of such thickness that the adjacent gears may rise and fall Without becoming disengaged, such rise and fall being permitted during the constant driving of the gears from the pinion, the said brush carrying shafts being reduced at their upper portions to receive a plastic sleeve that carries the bristles of the brush.

'4. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the gears for the actuation of the brushes are formed of a plastic material and an idler gear disposed within the housing between the pinion and the first brush actuating gear, the said idler gear being fixed upon a stub shatt that is journal-led in bearings carried by the upper and lower portions of the base housing and legs fixed to the bottom of the base housing whereby to space the housing and its associated mechanism away from the bottom of a container in which the device is to be installed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,529,691 Dav-is Mar. 17, 1925 2,639,451 Ford May 26, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 80,183 Germany Marv 26, 1895 

1. A TUMBLER WASHING MACHINE OF THE TYPE THAT IS ADAPTED TO BE IMMERSED IN A CLEANING FLUID AND WITH THE DEVICE HAVING UPSTANDING BRUSHES OVER WHICH THE TUMBER IS ENGAGED TO SCRUB BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE TUMBLER, THE DEVICE INCLUDING A GENERALLY TRIANGULAR BASE HOUSING, A TUBULAR UPSTANDING HOUSING FOR THE SUPPORT OF A DRIVE SHAFT, THE TUBULAR HOUSING BEING FIXED TO THE TOP OF THE BASE HOUSING AND WITH THE TUBULAR HOUSING CARRYING AT ITS UPPER END A SOURCE OF POWER, SUCH AS AN ELECTRIC MOTOR, THE ELECTRIC MOTOR BEING CONNECTED TO A DRIVE SHAFT THAT EXTENDS THROUGH THE TUBULAR HOUSING AND WITH ITS INNER END EXTENDING INTO THE BASE HOUSING, A RELATIVELY SMALL PINION CONNECTED TO THE LOWER END OF THE DRIVE SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF GEARS DISPOSED WITHIN THE BASE HOUSING AND WITH THE GEARS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL DIAMETER, THE SEVERAL GEARS AND THE PINION BEING IN CONSTANT MESH, CERTAIN OF THE GEARS BEING PROVIDED WITH A SHAFT THAT IS JOURNALLED IN UPPER AND LOWER JOURNAL BEARINGS CARRIED BY THE UPPER AND LOWER SIDES OF THE BASE HOUSING, THE SHAFTS BEING ROTATABLE AND SLIDABLE IN THE JOURNALS, THE SHAFTS EXTENDING ABOVE THE TOP OF THE BASE HOUSING AND PROVIDED EACH WITH A CYLINDRICAL BRUSH HAVING BRISTLES, THE BRUSHES BEING PARALLEL, THE SHAFT CARRYING GEARS EACH HAVING A RELATIVELY WIDE CIRCUMFERENTIAL ROW OF TEETH AND A WEB PORTION, THE WEB PORTION UPON ITS UPPER AND LOWER FACES BEING PROVIDED WITH CONCENTRIC GROOVES, THE GROOVES BEING ANGULAR WITH RESPECT TO THE UPPER AND LOWER FACES OF THE GEARS AND WITH THE GROOVES BEING OF VARIABLE DEPTH AND PARALLEL, AND MEANS CARRIED BY THE INSIDE FACES OF THE UPPER AND LOWER BASE HOUSING AND ENGAGING THE GROOVES OF THE UPPER AND LOWER INSIDE FACES OF THE BASE HOUSING WHEREBY THE GEARS DURING THEIR ROTARY MOVEMENT ARE CAUSED TO RISE AND FALL AND TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CAUSE THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BRUSHES DURING THEIR ROTARY SCRUBBING ACTION. 